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An Indian Take on Party Snacks
From guests that arrived at home as a surprise, to late-night snacks at sleepovers and eventually to impromptu house parties, we’ve, at least once in our lives had to do ‘jugaad’ with snacks and sweets that we sneaked in the house from the nearby shop, or if your mom always expected guests, rushed to the cabinet (that was off-limits to you other-wise) to build a tray of goodies for your guests.
That tray of goodies was not the usual trail-mix of snacks that we’d like to gorge on as teens, but was usually a well thought out array to almost showcase the quality of food you would eat everyday - to the guest. (Much like the special cutlery you’d get out for the guests)
And this has stuck with us as we grew into adulthood. While the concept of party snacks came from the West, growing up with chips and dips, and instant foods, in multiple parties and get-togethers, we found our way around the concept to bring out an Indian take on it. With the incredible fusion of tradition and convenience, we found our way through years of experimenting, of making mini versions of our most loved foods and make them stick as party staples.
Snacks
With the tradition of chai (tea) withstanding, we find ourselves scrounging around for some crunchy convenient chiwda/chiwra/chevda, bhujiya/bhujia and sev for long, heated debates on the state of the country or that nail-biting movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat. And if you’re a hopeless romantic for deep, philosophical conversations as you sip chai looking out at the pouring rains or simply playing a familiar game of Antakshari, the familiar warm scent of samosas and onion pakodas/pakoras and its overwhelmingly homely taste would make the perfect nostalgic chakna/snack.
And if the party is planned, we tend to go all out, not only with a multitude of ready-made snacks and sweets, but home-made food inspired from a fusion of cultures. Every state has their staple welcome dishes, with Vadapav, Misalpav in Maharashtra, to Chhena in Odisha, to the millennial-favourite Momos in Sikkim and so on. Our finger foods go beyond Western foods to include multiple spices and cooking styles, that our appetizers (with a clear affinity towards fried foods) include Kebabs, Cutlets, Vadas and Kachoris with an assortment of sauces and pickles to go with.
Sweets
But every big celebration requires Motichur/Motichoor Ladoos as a sign of prosperity and blessings, with the crowd-favourite of Gulab Jamun as the go-to dessert to satisfy everyone’s sweet-tooth. One cannot go ahead without the our humble Rosgulla/Rasgulla with a nod from our Bengali friends and Soan Papdi/Sohan Papdi that seems to make children go wild with its similarity to cotton-candy. Surely, Chikki would be cherished by our loving grandparents as they chewed away, at the elder’s table.
Bakery foods
We couldn’t forget our NRI friends with Nankhatai that throws shade on English biscuits and Cream rolls that simply mimic them.And while we’ve adopted cakes and cookies into our party foods, we haven’t failed to get our own Indian ‘tadka’ into each one of them.
Street foods
Indian party appetizers simply defer from staying sticking to sweet and savoury. In bringing street foods to our homes like chaats, khakhra and every kind of puri, we simply show that how much of a delightful experience we want out guests to have with us, and thus, in following the ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ statement, the Indian party scene - in terms of food, is set.
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